SCOPE OF ROLE:

• Reports to: Deputy Country Director – Programme & Operations
• Key working relationships: Country Director, PDQI Team, Advocacy Team, Supply Team, MEAL team, Deputy Operations Directors, Heads of Program Implementation, Finance Team, HHRR team, Safety & Security, and others. 
• Location: Country Office, with frequent (around 25% of time) traveling to Partners’ Offices
• Key Objectives
• Drive the operationalization of Save the Children Sudan’s localisation strategy, ensuring a progressive shift toward equitable, locally led programme delivery models aligned with Grand Bargain and CHS commitments.
• Oversee a large and complex partnership portfolio to ensure high-quality, compliance, and results-driven program delivery at scale through strategic engagement with national and local partners.
• Establish and maintain robust, fit-for-purpose partnership systems, processes, and tools, ensuring effective integration across programs, operations, and support functions.
• Strengthen the institutional and programmatic capacity of local and national actors through structured capacity-sharing approaches, promoting long-term sustainability, mutual accountability, and resilience of local actors.
• Ensure strong monitoring, accountability to partners, and continuous learning, using evidence and feedback to improve partnership effectiveness and inform strategic decision-making.
• Lead and coordinate the partnership and localisation function across the Country Office, fostering collaboration, coherence, and a culture of equitable partnerships and localisation internally and externally.

Strategic Leadership and Localization Agenda

• Lead the implementation of the Country Office Localization Strategy, in line with Save the Children’s Global Partnership Framework, Localization Policy, Grand Bargain commitments, and CHS standards.
• Ensure partnership and localization priorities are fully integrated into country strategic planning, annual plans, and humanitarian response strategies.
• Drive the operationalization of localization across its seven dimensions, identifying and addressing operational bottlenecks and influencing systems, processes, and decision-making.
• Coordinate periodic self-assessments on partnerships and localization, ensuring action plans are developed, implemented, monitored, and reported to SMT.

Partnership Portfolio Oversight and Coordination

• Provide end-to-end oversight of partnership management across the Country Office, ensuring alignment with SCI Partnership Principles and the Partnership Management Cycle.
• Act as the central focal point for all partnerships, ensuring coherence, consistency, and quality across a large and diverse partner portfolio.
• Strengthen coordination and collaboration across Programs, PDQI, Awards, Finance, MEAL, Supply Chain, and Safeguarding to ensure partnerships are effectively integrated throughout the programme lifecycle.
• Represent Save the Children Sudan in external forums on partnerships and localization, contributing to national and sectoral dialogue.

Strategic Partnership Development

• Lead and coordinate partner scoping, mapping, assessment, and selection processes in collaboration with PDQI and program teams.
• Identify and pursue strategic partnerships that strengthen programme quality, scale, and sustainability.
• Ensure partners are actively engaged in programme design, proposal development, planning, and budgeting, including adequate resourcing of partner support and capacity strengthening.

Partner Management and Capacity Strengthening

• Oversee the consistent application of partnership management standards, tools, and procedures adapted to the Sudan context.
• Coordinate and guide partner due diligence, capacity assessments, and capacity-sharing plans, ensuring a shift from compliance-driven approaches toward mutual learning and long-term institutional strengthening.
• Ensure effective implementation and tracking of Partner Capacity Strengthening Plans, including resourcing, delivery, and progress monitoring.
• Promote a partner-centered approach, coordinating with external actors to avoid duplication and enhance complementarity in capacity-sharing efforts.
• Ensure partners understand and apply SCI standards, including Child Safeguarding, Code of Conduct, and Core Humanitarian Standards.

Partnership Systems, Compliance, and Quality Assurance

• Strengthen and ensure the consistent use of partnership systems, tools, and processes, including partner selection, agreement, monitoring, and close-out.
• Ensure effective alignment between partnership management and donor compliance requirements, balancing accountability with operational flexibility in a high-risk environment.
• Support the rollout and implementation of Safer Partnerships and accountability frameworks.
• Oversee the consolidation and analysis of partnership performance data and indicators, providing regular reporting and insights to SMT.

Partnership and Localisation Monitoring, Learning, and Accountability

• Work with MEAL and program teams to ensure appropriate M&E systems and tools are in place for partners, with adequate training and support.
• Establish and oversee systems for accountability to partners, including feedback mechanisms, partnership surveys, and regular engagement forums.
• Facilitate analysis of partnership performance and programme results to generate learning, lessons learned, and strategic recommendations.
• Support documentation and dissemination of best practices and case studies to inform advocacy and learning on localization.

Staff Capacity Development and Leadership

• Lead, coach, and mentor Partnership and Localisation Department staff, strengthening competencies in partnership management, localisation, coordination, and relationship management.
• Build the capacity of wider Country Office staff on partnership principles, systems, and localization approaches.
• Foster an organizational culture that promotes equitable partnerships, accountability, learning, and innovation in line with Save the Children values.

Additional job responsibilities

• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Essential 

• Minimum 5 years of experience in partnership management within humanitarian or development contexts, preferably in Sudan.
• Demonstrated experience working with national and local NGOs in humanitarian responses, with a strong understanding of localisation principles.
• Proven knowledge and practical application of partnership approaches, including the Partnership Management Cycle, due diligence, and capacity strengthening.
• Experience in capacity sharing.
• Strong experience in coordination, representation, and external engagement, with the ability to effectively represent SCI in forums and networks.
• Demonstrated ability to manage partnerships at scale, ensuring quality, compliance, and results.
• Strong analytical and report-writing skills, with the ability to produce clear, evidence-based assessments and reports.
• Excellent interpersonal communication, and facilitation skills, with the ability to influence, negotiate, and build relationships across diverse stakeholders.
• Proven ability in coaching, mentoring, and team development.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with an innovative and solution-oriented mindset.
• High level of cultural and political sensitivity, with demonstrated diplomacy and tact.
• Ability to work effectively in insecure, high-pressure, and rapidly changing environments.
• Strong commitment to teamwork and collaborative ways of working.
• Willingness and ability to undertake frequent travel within Sudan, including to hard-to-reach locations.

Desirable

• A very good understanding of at least 2 of the sectorial programs and a working knowledge of the programme priorities of the response which include Education, Child Protection, Health, Nutrition.
• Experience or knowledge and challenge of working with NGOs and other civil society types of organisations in Sudan.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity